Bay Port baseball looking to make another title run

Bay Port baseball looking to make another title run

The Bay Port Pirates won D-1 state baseball titles in 2009 and 2010, and are ranked #1 again this season.

Bay Port Head Baseball Coach Mike Simeons had a message for his seven seniors before the season started.

"We talked about them creating their own legacy," Simeons said Wednesday. 'Some day people will look back and say remember that year when the Neuville boys were seniors or when that Frieder boy was a senior. This is their season, and we will only go as far as they take us."

Those seniors, including identical twins Drew and Bret Neuville have been playing together since they were 9-years old They want to lead this team back to the State Tournament, where they fell one win short of a Division 1 State Title, but have fond memories of watching the Pirates bring home championships in 2009 and 2010 at Fox Cities Stadium.

"I definitely remember going to the stadium and watching those guys play and thinking that's where I want to be when I am a senior," senior cather Drew Neuville said.

Ryan Grabig already had a big senior moment this year when he tossed a no-hitter Tuesday against Green Bay East, but he can't help but think about winning it all like his brother Sean did in 2009.

"That was the first year they won it, he was playing," Grabig said. "That was really fun to watch. Just seeing that growing up you always win a State Championship.

The Pirates look poised to return to Grand Chute as they are currently ranked #1 in the State in Division 1, and are riding a 10-game winning streak based on the power of their pitching staff and their prowess at the plate. Bay Port averages 8 runs per game while their pitchers only allow three per contest. They have scored 10 or more runs in half their games, and have allowed 3 or fewer runs in 8 of 12 games. It's a big reason the Pirates are 7-0 (10-2 overall), and the only unbeaten team left in the FRCC.

"Going into the year, I knew that our pitching depth was going to be pretty good and defensively we always pride our self in playing good defense," Simeons said when asked if anything has surprised him about his team so far. "If anything I think our offense has been a little stronger recently than I anticipated. We like to think just as the weather is warming up, we are starting to warm up a little bit. I think this group has the ability that once we start putting it together, we have 7, 8, 9 kids that can put the bat on the ball. I think we will be fairly strong offensively throughout the year."

And the pitching hasn't been too shabby either after losing a pair of top pitchers from last year.

"That was a lot of pitching we lost," adds Grabig. "But I think top to bottom our pitching has been a really pleasant surprise for us. We have been really good pitching, and our hitting and been very good too."

Bay Port has built won of the best baseball programs in the area and will be looking to win their 9th straight regional title when the playoffs roll around. The Pirates have also advanced to the State Tournament seven times in the last 13 years.

This year's team has the balance and talent to get back to the promise land. These players want their moment to raise the trophy, while the next generation of Pirate players wait their turn.